The Learning by Leading™ Program (or LxL) is a student leadership development program offered by the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden that provides undergraduates with hands-on, real-world experience in environmental and public garden management. We sat down with Melissa Cruz Hernandez, the Outreach and Leadership Program Manager for LxL, to learn more about its history and accolades.

Established in 2008, LxL was originally founded with a single internship team, the Arboretum Ambassadors. This first internship team was envisioned as a way to build students’ leadership skills while training them in public engagement and environmental outreach. Over the years, the program has expanded to include nine different internship teams, each focusing on leadership growth and addressing different environmental and sustainability issues as part of running a large-scale public garden. What sets LxL internships apart from other traditional internships is its six step “Leadership Ladder” model. Students start as entry-level "learners" and gradually take on more responsibility, eventually able to take on independent projects and lead entire teams. In addition, the model includes multi-tiered mentorship in which staff members mentor student leaders who in turn mentor student interns.

Melissa has been deeply involved in the initiative since its early days. Her journey with LxL began as a student in 2010, when she became a member of one of the first Arboretum Ambassador internship cohorts and was then hired to help run the program when she graduated. The program inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in educational leadership, where she wrote her master’s thesis on student leadership development through the LxL program structure. Under her guidance, LxL expanded significantly, establishing structured norms for leadership development and ensuring effective communication across teams. Her work has helped streamline operations, particularly with the implementation of digital tools like Slack to enhance organization and efficiency.

Melissa and the LxL team have also been working hard to create more paid student opportunities on campus. In fact, this year’s cohort has the highest amount of paid student opportunities LxL has ever offered so far! They are also working to provide opportunities for post-graduate students through partnerships with the state. LxL now hosts seven undergraduate College Corps fellows and four Climate Action Corps fellows, part of the AmeriCorps initiative, providing post-graduate individuals with hands-on experience in environmental leadership.

The LxL Program has had a profound impact not only on students but also on the broader UC Davis community and beyond. The Arboretum and Public Garden led the development of a Learning by Leading Community of Practice (or COP) through the American Public Gardens Association to spread the program to other institutions around the world. In 2017 the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Humber Arboretum (Toronto, Canada) became their first COP partners and began implementing the LxL model. Today, LxL has nine COP partners, including the Cornell Botanic Gardens, University of Central Florida Arboretum, and most recently the Botanical Garden of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil!

The LxL Program has recently received several prestigious awards recognizing its impact. Last summer, it earned the Program Excellence Award from the American Public Gardens Association, a national honor celebrating its innovation in environmental education and stewardship. Additionally, Kathleen Socolofsky, Director of the Arboretum and Public Garden, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UC Davis Foundation Board in part due to her promotion of fundraising related to the LxL Program. These honors reflect the program’s dedication to fostering learning, sustainability, and community engagement.

LxL students make lasting impacts on the UC Davis campus. One of the most significant projects the LxL students have worked on thus far is the massive Arboretum Waterway Enhancement Project, for which the construction phase wrapped up in February (a whole year early!). Students on the Waterway Stewardship internship team are playing a major role in renewing the Arboretum Waterway, gaining hands-on experience and learning about water quality control and management.

Other ongoing initiatives include the development of climate-ready gardens and sustainable, drought-tolerant landscapes on campus with the help of the Sustainable Horticulture internship team. The Habitat Horticulture interns also played a crucial role in UC Davis earning its Bee Campus USA affiliation, a distinction that recognizes institutions who are committed to conserving pollinators through creating safe habitats.

This spring, LxL has a packed schedule of events to look forward to. Students will be showcasing their work in sustainable horticulture and pollinator support at this year’s California Honey Festival in Woodland on May 3. Additionally, the Arboretum and Public Garden is also hosting three major plant sales on April 6, April 26, and May 10. These plant sales serve as both a fundraiser for the program and an opportunity for the community to purchase locally grown, climate-resilient plants, many grown by the Plant Propagation & Nursery Management interns.

If you’re looking to get involved with LxL, community volunteer days are on the second Saturday of every month. These are great opportunities to learn more about sustainable horticulture while assisting with garden maintenance and supporting restoration projects on campus. Interested volunteers can sign up through this link https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5u1dJ3UK96mRLi6 or reach out to Kitty Bolte, who manages the volunteer program. You can also subscribe to the Arboretum and Public Garden’s e-newsletter, “The Leaflet” to get regular updates about the LxL team and their projects.